Attention all MARS & Lever release owners

[Christel]

IainWR

[James84]

There is a chap down at my local club who brings a MARS rifle down and comes along with a group of wheelchair bound kids/young adults who have severely restricted movement and limited/minimal function in their limbs. They use the MARS from a rest and go away smiling and happy. It's genuinely a pleasure to see them able to enjoy the sport. That is undeniable.

The fact that MARS rifles enable less physically able shooters to take part is fantastic, however I fear that it is a wasted argument.

When I was debating getting a MARS I asked for opinions on these forums about whether I should go for a straight pull or MARS and that I wasn't bothered about the action type. The reply I got was along the lines of 'you buy a MARS only for the action'. Government is now banning these based purely on that feature.

I have written to my MP several times as well as the HS. Unfortunately, the feedback I received through representatives who met Ambur Rudd around Phoenix was that she stated 'the Home Office will steamroll this regardless'. Bear in mind she was no longer HS at that point.

The plain and simple fact is that they have a distaste for the action on these rifles and no matter how law abiding we prove ourselves to be, time and time again, we are fighting against ideas that these are 'semi-semi auto rifles', as somebody in a video once called them. Having the words 'semi' and 'auto' in anything to do with firearms scares everyone outside of the shooting community.

As an example of MY Experience of how the general shooting community view these rifles, the last 2 times I took my MARS out, I received widely negative reactions. I took it to my local club and had a few 'oh, is that one of the rifles they're banning?' questions. Which is fine. However when I fire it in a controlled and slow fashion, I start to hear murmurs around me about 'now I understand why they're banning them'. This was to the point that when I did a 'bang click, bang click', I got asked to stop shooting it in case people thought it was a semi-auto. In the meantime, the chap 3 lanes down was doing 4 x mags of 30 rounds rapid from his MP5 at clays laid at the back. Nobody blinked an eye.

People are scared of what they do not understand.

At Bisley I have found it even more negative. Same drill with people asking 'is that the rifle they're banning', which I'm happy to discuss. However I then had someone stand behind me whilst firing it slow and steady saying 'no wonder they're banning it, that's ridiculous' and when I turned around, he was filming me shoot it.

My point is that yes, these are good for disabled shooters and I fear that is the only legitimate argument that will carry any weight. It's a shame but I really feel like these rifles have already been shunned by the wider shooting community, unless my experiences have just been isolated/unlucky. It really shouldn't matter how the action works. If you shoot these responsibly and use it like any other rifle, then why can't we, as licensed holders, own them?

I do not wish to be defeatist but I don't believe there is anything else I can do now. Explaining them to people and writing letters can only go so far when the general attitude toward them (in my experience) is so negative. All I can hope is that some strong arguments are made in the Commons/Lords that stop these and 50 cals from being banned. If they do get banned, then to echo everyone else, what gets taken next?

[Brian838]

There is a chap down at my local club who brings a MARS rifle down and comes along with a group of wheelchair bound kids/young adults who have severely restricted movement and limited/minimal function in their limbs. They use the MARS from a rest and go away smiling and happy. It's genuinely a pleasure to see them able to enjoy the sport. That is undeniable.

The fact that MARS rifles enable less physically able shooters to take part is fantastic, however I fear that it is a wasted argument.

When I was debating getting a MARS I asked for opinions on these forums about whether I should go for a straight pull or MARS and that I wasn't bothered about the action type. The reply I got was along the lines of 'you buy a MARS only for the action'. Government is now banning these based purely on that feature.

I have written to my MP several times as well as the HS. Unfortunately, the feedback I received through representatives who met Ambur Rudd around Phoenix was that she stated 'the Home Office will steamroll this regardless'. Bear in mind she was no longer HS at that point.

The plain and simple fact is that they have a distaste for the action on these rifles and no matter how law abiding we prove ourselves to be, time and time again, we are fighting against ideas that these are 'semi-semi auto rifles', as somebody in a video once called them. Having the words 'semi' and 'auto' in anything to do with firearms scares everyone outside of the shooting community.

As an example of MY Experience of how the general shooting community view these rifles, the last 2 times I took my MARS out, I received widely negative reactions. I took it to my local club and had a few 'oh, is that one of the rifles they're banning?' questions. Which is fine. However when I fire it in a controlled and slow fashion, I start to hear murmurs around me about 'now I understand why they're banning them'. This was to the point that when I did a 'bang click, bang click', I got asked to stop shooting it in case people thought it was a semi-auto. In the meantime, the chap 3 lanes down was doing 4 x mags of 30 rounds rapid from his MP5 at clays laid at the back. Nobody blinked an eye.

People are scared of what they do not understand.

At Bisley I have found it even more negative. Same drill with people asking 'is that the rifle they're banning', which I'm happy to discuss. However I then had someone stand behind me whilst firing it slow and steady saying 'no wonder they're banning it, that's ridiculous' and when I turned around, he was filming me shoot it.

My point is that yes, these are good for disabled shooters and I fear that is the only legitimate argument that will carry any weight. It's a shame but I really feel like these rifles have already been shunned by the wider shooting community, unless my experiences have just been isolated/unlucky. It really shouldn't matter how the action works. If you shoot these responsibly and use it like any other rifle, then why can't we, as licensed holders, own them?

I do not wish to be defeatist but I don't believe there is anything else I can do now. Explaining them to people and writing letters can only go so far when the general attitude toward them (in my experience) is so negative. All I can hope is that some strong arguments are made in the Commons/Lords that stop these and 50 cals from being banned. If they do get banned, then to echo everyone else, what gets taken next?

The comments I’ve had when I’ve shot my MARS have included – ‘fair enough if they get banned, they make us all look bad’. ‘haha – I’ve no idea how those have ever been legal!’ and even someone who works in my local RFD say ‘I’ve refused to shoot if one of those is even on the firing point next to me’.
These are also people who I know own .22 semi’s or have happily shot full bore semi’s back in the day.
We really are our own worst enemy.

[Blackstuff]

I'd never go back to a club that had members/an attitude like that, its basically what has got us into the pricarious position we're in today.

[James84]

I'd never go back to a club that had members/an attitude like that, its basically what has got us into the pricarious position we're in today.

Absolutely 100% agree. I've been looking for another club for a while and have now applied somewhere else.

I shoot a range of firearms, predominantly military arms ranging from muzzle loaders to a Snider, Martini, BP pistols, Enfields through to my Dragunov and my AK. It's fascinating how the firearm you pull out of your slip that day determines who will talk to you.

A Martini-Henry draws a "wow!", whereas a straight pull AK or the Vz draws an "ergh". Each to their own.

Besides, I shoot them all exactly the same way. Badly.

[JSC]

Brian, James, Just out of interest, what sort of firearms do these people who look down their nose at you shoot?

[Brian838]

Brian, James, Just out of interest, what sort of firearms do these people who look down their nose at you shoot?

Bolt action 308’s by the looks of things. I don’t know what the guy in the shop owns but he was very enthusiastic about their new stock of tactical Sabatti bolt actions.
The guy who chuckled about VZ’s being legal in the first place, was also boasting that he owns a Chinese SKS that a friend keeps for him in Canada. Go figure.

[JSC]

There's so much prejudice in shooting. It's pathetic and unnecessary, but I can't ever see it changing.

[snayperskaya]

Brian, James, Just out of interest, what sort of firearms do these people who look down their nose at you shoot?

Bolt action 308’s by the looks of things. I don’t know what the guy in the shop owns but he was very enthusiastic about their new stock of tactical Sabatti bolt actions.
The guy who chuckled about VZ’s being legal in the first place, was also boasting that he owns a Chinese SKS that a friend keeps for him in Canada. Go figure.

And chances are these people, and those like them, won't bother contacting their MP etc because they think that because they don't own a MARS etc the ban won't have any impact on them, until it is their rifles they want to ban next! aaarggh

[James84]

Brian, James, Just out of interest, what sort of firearms do these people who look down their nose at you shoot?

Bolt action 308’s by the looks of things. I don’t know what the guy in the shop owns but he was very enthusiastic about their new stock of tactical Sabatti bolt actions.
The guy who chuckled about VZ’s being legal in the first place, was also boasting that he owns a Chinese SKS that a friend keeps for him in Canada. Go figure.

I would be inclined to agree. Without knowing factually what each person shoots and without wishing the generalize, those who I have glanced at down the line at Bisley have decked out target rifles or some other form of custom, long range rifle. However I am well aware that there is always one spoon in the fork drawer.

If I had to summarize, most things that look 'modern' and 'military' receive a frosty reception. If it was a MARS M1 Garand, I believe people's opinions would be different.

My answer - I enjoy them, I enjoy the history and will plink away until I'm told I can't.